Children somersaulted into a pool as adults sipped cocktails and dined on burgers, blue- and orange-striped umbrellas shielding them from the summer sun. Nearby, families squared off on newly redone tennis courts. But it was impossible not to notice, beyond the cool splashing and camaraderie, a charred and empty landscape.
The Altadena Town & Country Club — a storied establishment that has been a center of play as well as employment in the foothill town for more than a century — was destroyed in the Eaton fire. On Sunday, it reopened.
The noise of the crowd that gathered was a marked change from the silence that had reigned over Altadena since January’s firestorm.
Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park), whose congressional district includes Altadena, spoke at the reopening and recalled touring the area of the country club two nights after the Jan. 7 disaster.
“I could not believe my eyes,” Chu said. “I still saw flames around the different parts of the ruins.”
Los Angeles County suffered numerous devastating losses during the the Eaton and Palisades fires in January. At least 31 people were killed (though the death toll may be much higher) and more than 9,000 structures were destroyed.
The loss of the club, which first opened in 1910, didn’t just affect its members. The facilities also played host to local fundraisers, municipal government meetings, Altadena Rotary Club gatherings, high school proms and church events, among other things.
“While it’s a private club,” board President Rebecca Stokes said, “the ATCC is very open to the community and important to the community.”
With a luxurious pool, multiple tennis and pickleball courts, a fitness center, dining options and several ballrooms, the club offered members the feel of an all-inclusive resort with the convenience of a community recreation center — all for the price of $465 a month. On Sunday, the main hall, the swimming pool and the pickleball and tennis courts were on full display as construction continued on other facilities.
The Altadena club, which first opened in 1910, celebrated its reopening on Sunday.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
The country club was the location of filming over the years. Don Draper (Jon Hamm) checked in when the establishment stood in for a hotel in an episode of “Mad Men,” Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber indulged in some poolside lounging at the 115-year-old institution in the music video for their single “I Don’t Care.” Jamie Lee Curtis fumbled her way through a game of pickleball there in the film “Freakier Friday.”
But beyond its history and amenities, the club was important to the Altadena economy as it employed around 120 people, many of whom were locals. Now there are about a dozen, split between full- and part-timers, who work at the facility. Stokes said the hope was to continue to rehire more staff once the club’s dining facilities were in full operation.
Nearly eight months after the fires, hundreds of community members braved the 95-degree heat for Sunday’s celebration and soft launch.
Philip Pearson, an 18-year member of the club, was happy for the event but still felt off-balance.
“It’s awesome to have everyone back here, but it’s not the same,” he said.
His family was among the lucky few whose homes were not leveled in the fire. After being displaced for seven months, the family moved back in three weeks ago.
“It’s weird. You turn the corner on the drive up here and you think it’s going to be the same and you’re just hit again and again with the fact that this is never really going to be the same, so you make the best of it,” the 49-year-old said. “So to have this kind of event today is really great.”
Of the club’s members, 17% lost their homes, and many more were or are still displaced.
Sunday’s function was the product of great effort, Stokes told The Times.
“We’re adjacent to the municipal golf course that was used by the Army Corps of Engineers as a debris removal staging area, and until May, we thought that they would be there until year-end, but they got their work done in record time,” Stokes said. “And so we realized we could get back on-site earlier, and we just decided to go for it.”
Community members gather at the Altadena Town & Country Club.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
She has yet to move back into her Altadena home since the fire and has been living out of the “suitcases that we packed on Jan. 7.” Although her home still stands, many of her neighbors’ homes burned down.
“I think it’s going to be really inspiring for the community at large when they’re driving down Mendocino Avenue to see some hustle and bustle and really positive activity going on,” Stokes said. “One of the strange things after the fire is, I’d run into neighbors in Target and we’d hug and cry and catch up. We used to be within walking distance. … Now we don’t know where community members are anymore.”
She said she hoped that having the rebuilt club as a community focal point would be “very healing.”
Stokes said the club was cognizant of ongoing air quality and soil toxin issues in the area.
Before the club reopened, she said, members wanted “the operations be finished at the golf course that was putting a lot of silica into the air.”
Extended exposure to silica dust can cause scarring and inflammation in the lungs, which in turn can lead to more severe pulmonary diseases, according to the American Lung Assn.
“We’ve done air quality monitoring. We have done soil testing, and fortunately our soil itself didn’t require any remediation,” she said.
Rep. Judy Chu presents the Altadena Town & Country Club leadership with a certificate at the reopening.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Chu said she hoped that the day’s celebration stood as a testament to the community’s resilience.
“It is the reflection of all the energy and commitment of the people associated with this center. Rebuilding this space has been no small task,” Chu said.
Before all the speakers wrapped up, Stokes made an announcement to club members.
“On the subject of dues, we’ve heard your feedback. We’ve sharpened our pencils and we’ve recalibrated our financial models,” Stokes said. “My announcement is that dues are suspended at least through year-end.”
This story originally appeared on LA Times
